The Petals of a Withered Camellia
by raingirl777
Summary: It all started with a mission to find a lonesome, little boy named Zachary. What does he know about Allen and Lenalee's disappearance? According to Komui, he only had to take the kid to the black order, not that he had to become his guardian! Now Kanda has to deal with the craziness of raising a seven year old child. Sorta like the manga/anime. R&R! raingirl777
1. The Old Oak Tree

"What do you want?" It was early afternoon and sunlight bathed the room. Kanda Lee hated being called upon by his superior. It was bad enough that he had to bring Komui his lunch every day, but to separate him from his primary duties? That was taking it a bit too far. Light glared off of the man's glasses as he sipped from his bunny mug full of coffee. For the next couple of minutes, everything was silent. Throughout those minutes, Kanda grew more and more agitated. Just when he was about to snap, Komui at last spoke.

"I have a very important assignment for you, Kanda." This caught the man's attention and his curiosity peaked in interest behind his expressionless face. Kanda then glared at him.

"Have you forgotten that I already have missions yet to complete? If I may, I do wish to complete them first. It is a logical decision after all." Komui took another sip of his cup of joe and thought for a moment.

"Yes, Kanda. I do realize you have other tasks at the moment, but I'm making an exception this time. Something important has come up and I need you to take care of it. You remember Allen, right?" This caused Kanda's brow to furrow even more.

"Of course, I remember him. Why? What's the point in bringing him up?" The older of the two set down his mug and crossed his fingers while resting them under his chin.

"Apparently, him and Lenalee have gone missing recently..." For once in his life, Komui was serious and concerned.

"Missing? How?"

"That is still a mystery even to me. After all of these years, I thought Lenalee had finally become strong enough to defend herself! Uahhhh!" Anime tears spilled down his cheeks as he sobbed in sadness. A large vein became apparent on Kanda's head.

"She could already take care of herself just fine! For god's sake, don't cry like that! You're a man. At least, I think you are..." Komui turned back to Kanda.

"And what's that supposed to mean!?"

"Forget it, I'm leaving. The two of them will turn up eventually." Turning to face the door, he began to leave. His superior finally came back to his senses.

"Wait, Kanda! I haven't told you your mission yet!"

"What!?" He snarled as he sent Komui another of his death glares.

"Ahem! Like I was saying, Allen and my precious Lenalee have gone missing. I need you to track down and bring back a young boy named Zachary. As I said before, this a very important assignment and I trust that you will carry it out all the way through."

"What does a random kid named Zachary have to do with Allen and Lenalee's disappearance?"

"Actually, a lot. He's Allen's child. Since they have gone missing, he has no one to live with. Your job is to bring him here. Understood?" Kanda nodded then left.

Kanda had not spoken to Allen or Lenalee in years. He had never heard that the two had a child. This made him wonder how old Zach was. He probably wasn't too old because Allen and Lenalee had only become normal citizens eight years before the present time. Both of them had returned to Allen's home land, the United Kingdom, to live ordinary lives and start a family. 'Seems their plans were interrupted,' Kanda thought to himself.

Without realizing it, the young man had walked out of the black order and was now standing amongst the crowded streets that lied below the large, floating building. It was obvious now that he had to take a train to Britain, so he headed towards the station…

~:~

Reluctantly Kanda had managed to find out where Allen recently lived due to his surprising gambling. He remembered the short-stack having to rely on his slight of hand every once in a while, but he never could of guessed he would do it willing. 'Oh well, I guess people have to change some over the years.'

The town was tiny and very pleasant. It appeared to have nothing going on what-so-ever. Kanda visited a few local restaurants to ask about Allen. If the people asked anything specific about himself, the man would merely say he was an old friend. This seemed to please them, so he managed to find out some rather useful information.

At last, Kanda found the house he was looking for. What he saw surprised him greatly. The residence was barely able to hold its own walls up. Burn marks covered the wallpaper and the furniture remained scorched by flames. Rummaging through the debris, he could not find a single person. If the kid was not here, where was he?

"Excuse me, can I help you?" came a soft voice. Kanda looked over his shoulder to see a plump lady wearing an apron. Clearly, she had been cooking.

"I'm an old friend of Allen's. I was wondering what happened to him and his family." Kanda looked around the room interested. The woman sighed somberly.

"I'm afraid Allen and his wife are gone. The two had a son. Poor lad, I offer to let him stay at my home every night, but he refuses every time… He won't let anyone take him in. I can't help but worry about him; he is just a boy after all."

"If he isn't staying with you or anyone else, where does he sleep?"

"In an old oak tree, up on the hill. He used to play there all the time. I suppose to him it's a place of refuge. Do you know if he has anyone to take him in?" Her eyes gleamed with hope.

"That is why I am here. I know the boy's uncle…" The woman became teary at his statement.

"Oh! I'm so glad! You're such a nice man. Just hearing you say you know someone who will take him in proves it. I hope you're both happy! If you ever come back here, feel free to come over and let me cook you a meal." Kanda bowed his head in respect.

"I appreciate your kindness… Sorry, but I have to go find Zachary now. Hopefully, we will meet again." He passed her in the walk way.

"Yes, hopefully." She smiled and waved to him as he walked up the nearby hillside.

Like the woman said, a large oak stood at the very top of the grassy hill. Flowers that surrounded the massive plant swayed in the chilly air. Thunder clapped in the heavens as dark gray clouds obscured the sky. The wind began to blow fiercely and Kanda then decided that he had to make this quick in order to avoid the storm.

"Zach! Are you up there?" There was quick movement in the trees. Yep, he was definitely there. Kanda stood silently while waiting for a reply from the boy. All of a sudden a rather large rock hit his boot with full force. He had to admit it hurt a little, but there was no way he was going to make that show on his face.

"Go away, or I'll hit you in the skull!" Kanda frowned.

"Stop playing around and come with me." Unbeknownst to him, Zach flinched in the tree.

"There is no way I'm going with you! You could be one of those things!"

"One of those things?" Kanda mumbled. "I don't know what you're talking about, but get down here." Within the trees shading, Zachary smirked.

"If you want me, you're gonna have to catch me." As quick as bullet, the boy jumped out from the high branch he was on and ran down the slick grass that became wet due to the rain beginning to drizzle. He nearly slipped, but quickly regained his footing. Kanda ran after him as fast as he could. The rain began to pour as he followed him. Through the down poor he could only make out the dark purple bandana on Zach's head.

At one point, they were running down an alley. Zach scaled a concrete wall with Kanda soon doing the same. The man accidently slipped and fell into the water puddle beneath him. The boy peaked out from behind a corner a large ways away. He sighed and fell to the floor trying to catch his breath.

"Finally, I lost him…"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." A shadow leaned over him. Kanda was glaring down at him with a killer intent. Zach eeped in fright.

"NOOOOOoooooo….."

~:~

Well, this was the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it so far. I've been wanting to write this ever since I finished the first season of D gray man. Just to make sure I have some of my facts straight, I've been checking on the D gray man wiki and have been reading the manga. Just so you know, Kanda is 31. Allen is 27 and Lenalee is 28. Also Zach is 7.

~raingirl777


	2. Uncle Mui

The trek back to the order was a long and tiring one. Zach complained the entire way. So as not to appear conspicuous, Kanda and Zachary had disgused themselves as ordinary citizens. It seemed that train ride took much longer than it should have.

Kanda was currently sitting in one of the many booths with his arms crossed while Zach sat beside him.

"Where are you taking me?" the child asked. Kanda sighed. So he had finally come to reason; had he?

"Good. You're actually being mature?" The man continued to stare outside the window.

"Yoou never answered my question..." Zach was now glaring at him.

"Why are you so eager to know?"

"I would imagine any captive would want to ask that question. " Zach crossed his arms as well.

"Zach, I have already explained it to you. You are not being kidnapped like you think. You're just stubborn brat that won't listen to reasoning."

"Then what is it that you are doing?"

"Your uncle wishes to speak with you."

"My uncle? I have no uncle! Atleast, not that I'm aware of..." The boy began to look of into space then set piercing blue eyes back on Kanda.

"Yes; you do. On your mother's side. His name is Komui Lee. He is also my superior." Zach's eyes widened in shock.

"K... Ko... mui?"

"I only know minor details of the situation so would you please refrain from asking anymore questions?" Zach began to look at his feet.

"Um... Okay."

"What is my uncle like?" The two stood before a set of french doors.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes!" The boy nodded in excitement.

"To be completely honest, useless..." Kanda then opened the door. Papers flew everywhere. In the nidst of the room, sat a sleeping Komui. He was snoring loudly and drooling onto the floor. Kanda sweat- dropped, walked over to him, and knelt down. "Lenalee is getting married." Komui shot out of his seat.

"No! I won't allow it."

"She was already married, you idiot."

"Oh; right... My Lenalee has left me!" He burst into tears.

"Are you alright, Mister?" Zach knelt beside him and patted him on the back. Komui looked up and nearly burst into tears again. He suddenly glomped Zach.

"Oh! If it isn't my dear nephew! I'm so happy to meet you." That was when he did burst into tears...

"Nrgh! Uncle Komui, you're beginning to choke me, so would you please let me go?" The man stood up and became dead serious.

"Forbidden! I forbid you to call me 'Uncle Komui'. From now on, you shall call me Uncle Mui. Understood?" Zach just stood there and blinked in bewilderment.

"Um... Alright." Kanda walked over to the boy and whispered into his ear.

"If you haven't already figured it out, Komui is a bit off his rocker."

"I can see that..." Zach began to laugh. Komui cleared his throat loudly, and the boy stopped laughing.

"Back to business." Komui became serious. "Zach, you need a place to stay; do you not?"

"Yes."

"Well, living with me isn't really an option. I have so much paper work that I won't get to see you much. Plus, my pay isn't very mush. I could not support us both." Kanda frowned.

"You call what you do 'work'?" Kanda asked him. A vein appeared on Komui's head.

"Then where will I live?"

"With Kanda; of course!" Zach and Kanda's eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

"WHAT!?"

"Why the hell do I have to look after this brat? And when did I agree to such a thing?"

"You live alone, Kanda, and with how many assignments you go on, you should have enough money. Besides, it will be a good experiance for you." He took another sip of his coffee as Kanda seethed with rage. "Be on your way now. Shoo! Shoo!" He waved them off.

"What are you looking at?" Kanda had been sitting in the dark on his couch when Zachary jumped onto the seat beside him.

"None of your business..." Zach frowned.

"Yes it is. You're my guardian from this day forth. I have a right to know." He poked Kanda in the rib. 'Damn little brat!' the eldest thought.

"Fine. I'm writing a mission report if you are so eager to know."

"Hey; is it okay if I sleep here on the seat next to you?"

"Whatever for?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Ever since a month ago, I've been having nightmares. I haven't been able to sleep well at all." Kanda thought about it for a moment then sighed.

"As long as you stay quiet and don't move around too much." Zach smiled and layed down. The gray hair on his head barely touched the man to his left.

"You know, Kanda, you're actually pretty nice..." With that, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"Hmph! Whatever you say, kid..."

***xxxXxxx***

Yay! I uploaded! :D

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